Furnaces, air conditioners and other types of temperature conditioning units typically respond to a thermostat in controlling the air temperature of a room or other area of a building. Currently, thermostats can be classified as manual or programmable.
With manual thermostats, a user manually enters into the thermostat a desired temperature setpoint, and then thermostat controls the temperature conditioning unit to bring the actual room temperature to that setpoint. At various times throughout the day, the user might adjust the setpoint for comfort or to save energy. When operating in a heating mode, for instance, a user might lower the setpoint temperature at night and raise it again in the morning. Although manual thermostats are easy to understand and use, having to repeatedly adjust the setpoint manually can be a nuisance.
Programmable thermostats, on the other hand, can be programmed to automatically adjust the setpoint to predetermined temperatures at specified times. The specified times can initiate automatic setpoint adjustments that occur daily such as on Monday-Friday, or the adjustments might occur weekly on days such as every Saturday or Sunday. For a given day, programmable thermostats can also be programmed to make multiple setpoint adjustments throughout the day, such as at 8:00 AM and 11:00 PM on Saturday or at 6:00 AM and 10 PM on Monday through Friday. Such programming, however, can be confusing as it can involve several steps including: 1) synchronizing the thermostat's clock with the current time of day; 2) entering into the thermostat the current date or day of the week; and 3) entering various chosen days, times and setpoint temperatures. One or more of these steps may need to be repeated in the event of daylight savings time, electrical power interruption, change in user preferences, and various other reasons.
Consequently, there is a need for a thermostat that offers the simplicity of a manual thermostat while providing the convenience and versatility of a programmed thermostat.